Impulse transmitting device



y 3, 4- L. KARDORFF 1,965,122

IMPULSE TRANSMITTING DEVICE Filed July 13, 1931 July 3, 1934. L. KARDORFF IMPULSE TRANSMITTING DEVICE 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 13 FTTOBNE) Patented J uly: 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IMPULSE TRANSMITTING DEVICE New York Application July 13, 1931, Serial No. 550,338

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in impulse transmitting devices, and has for an object the provision of a simple, compact and self-contained mechanism capable of transmitting a plurality of code impulses, any one of which may be readily selected by means of the setting operation, after which the device is operated by merely throwing a lever.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an impulse transmitting device having code discs which may be slipped out of the device, changed and replaced. without disassembling the same.

In existing devices of this character it is necessary in order to remove any of the code discs, to unscrew, unbolt or otherwise disassemble or partly disassemble the device.

The provision of the new circular control disc having a slot formed therein and carrying an individual spring suitably supported thereon with portions of the spring overhanging the slot makes it unnecessary to disturb any portion of the mechanism to remove the disc. The spring holds the disc concentric with the shaft and when the disc is engaged and pulled out, the spring automatically disengages the shaft thereby freeing the disc from its shaft and the neighboring discs on either side.

Another new feature of the improved control disc resides in the fact that the spring itself or the supports carried by the disc act as spacers to space a given disc from its neighboring disc.

A further object of the invention is the provision in an impulse transmitting device of a rock-'- ing shaft carrying a pair of interrupter contacts, a cam adapted to actuate these contacts when the shaft is rocked in one direction, and means partly on the rocking shaft and partly on the cam shaft for securing accurate registration of the cam and interrupter contacts relative to the code discs in the device.

A still further object of-the invention is the provision of a control disc having indicia thereon each corresponding to an impulse. This indicia I may be used as guides in making up the disc for a wanted code. 4

Still another object of the invention is theto the thickness of the arm cooperating with the disc is thereby eliminated.

This application is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 443,137, filed April 10, 1930, corresponding to French Patent 701,173, and is directed more particularly to modifications, Figures 6 and '7, in application Serial No. 443,137, in

which'the interrupter contacts are shifted into and out of the zone of an actuating cam therefor.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device with the cover partly broken away;

Figure 2 is a view, partly in section, along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the interrupte contact arms and a registration device for insuring accurate registration of the contact arms with the interrupter cam;

Figure 4 is a section, partly broken away, on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, the interrupter being omitted for clarity;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a modified form of Figure 9 is a top plan view of a portion of the device shown in Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings, the mechanism is housed in a casing l. The casing 1 is provided member 39 spaced apart from the end member 38. A shaft 4 is journaled in the members 38 and 39 and is provided with a lever 2 for actuating the mechanism, as will presently be described.

A drum 5 containing a clock spring (not shown) is supported on the shaft 4 and so arranged that when the lever 2 is pushed downward, the spring is wound. A gear 6 secured to the drum 5 meshes with an end frame member 38 and a second frame with a pinion 40 on the shaft 7. A gear 34 aflixed to the shaft 7 drives the pinion 35, and a gear 8 integral therewith via a pinion 36, rotates the shaft 9. The shaft 9 has secured thereto a cam 10, a governor device 14 and a hollow cup-shaped member 23. The hollow cup-shaped member 23 has a cut-away portion 25 in the circumferential wall thereof. The function of this member will present-1y be described.

The shaft 7 extends substantially the full length of the casing 1 and is provided with a pair of heads, one of which is shown at 13. A second shaft 37 is supported by the heads 13 in parallel relation to the shaft 7 and eccentric thereto.

The two heads 13 having a concentric and an eccentric shaft therebetween, form a cage upon which the code discs 17 are supported.

The discs 17 have a slot 41 formed therein. This slot is of such width that it forms a working fit with the shafts 7 and 37 and extends from the center of the disc to the circumference thereof. The disc is provided with a plurality of members 21 adapted to support a spring 22 and this spring when positioned on the disc and supported by the members 21 has portions 22a and 22b thereof overhanging the slot 41 so that when they are positioned in the cage with the slot riding both shafts, the overhanging portions of the spring engage shaft 7.

In addition to securing the disc on the shaft 7, the spring also serves as a spacer to hold the next adjacent disc the width of the spring apart from the disc supporting the spring. In other words, the spring on one disc members up against the plane face of the next adjacent disc and spaces it apart from the first disc.

The discs are provided with a plurality of teeth 18 which serve as indicia which may be used as a guide in making up the discs for wanted codes.

A longitudinal shaft 28 which may be termed a rocking shaft is positioned in the casing parallel to the shaft 7 and provided with suitable supports, one of which is shown at 28 in the end plate 39, Fig. 4. This rocking shaft has secured thereto a pair of contact arms 15 of such length that when the shaft is rocked in the right hand direction, the contact arms are swung within the zone of the cam 10 so that when the cam 10 rotates the contacts carried by the arms 15 are interrupted. The rocking shaft 28 also carries a keyed sliding block 27 which forms asupport for a control disc actuating arm 16. The casing 1 has its upper face provided with a longitudinal slot 42 preferably equidistant from the sides of the casing.

A knob 3 extending through the slot 42 is secured to the sliding block 27 and is provided for setting the arm 16 into cooperative relation with any desired code disc 18. When the toothed portions of the disc (the portion not cut away) engage the arm 16, the rocking shaft 28 is rocked clockwise against the tension of the spring 26 and the contact arms 15 are moved into the zone of the cam 10 so that for each revolution of the cam 10 the contacts are closed and opened, thereby instituting an impulse.

The movement of the teeth in the uncut portion of the disc past the arm 16 does not disengage the contact arms from the cam between each tooth. -However, the arm 16 when engaged by a cut-away portion of the disc allows the shaft 28 to rock counter-clockwise and with the help of the spring 26, to disengage the contact arms 15 from the cam 10.

The governor on the cam shaft insures a uni form speed of rotation of the cam, and the gearing between the shaft 7 and the governor shaft 9 is in such ratio that the movement of one tooth or indicia on the disc 30 past the arm 16 is accomplished at the same time the shaft 9 makes a complete revolution. Therefore, the contact arms 15 institute one impulse for each tooth or indicia on the disc 17. a I

The shaft 9 also carries a hollow cup-shaped member 23 which has a slot 25 formed in the periphery thereof. The rocking shaft 28 also supports what might be termed a registering arm 24. This arm has a right angle portion which when the shaft 9 is in a predetermined position, passes through the notch 25 due to an uncut portion of the disc engaging the arm 16, and remains within the hollow cup 23 during a number of revolutions of the cup corresponding to the number of teeth or indicia in the uncut portion of the disc engaging the 'arm 16, and passes out via the same slot when the arm 16 engages a cut-away portion of the disc 18. This registering arm 24 insures accurate registration of the contact arms 15 with the cam 10 and thereby produces impulses of full timing, regardless of inaccuracies of construction and wear on the device or parts thereof.

The head 13 has a notch 43 formed therein, and a pawl 1.2 normally engages the notch 43. When the winding lever 2 is swung to its lowest position it engages the member 11 which in turn disen gages the pawl 12 from the notch 43, thereby setting the mechanism into operation. As soon as the head 13 makes one complete revolution the notch 43 is again engaged by the pawl 12.

A push button 32 is also provided for releasing the pawl 12. The push button 32 is mounted on a rod 33 which is normally held up by the spring 44. When the push button 32 is pressed downward the rod 33 engages the arm 45 and swinging the same counter-clockwise in Fig. 4, disengages the pawl 12 from the notch 43. The clock spring in the drum 5 is of such size and capacity that the mechanism may be operated several times by the push button with one winding.

The position of the discs 17, shown in Figs. 1 and 2; is shown one-half a revolution away from normal. In other words, the normal position of the discs is with the slot 41 pointing vertically upward so that the arm 16, through the medium of the knob 3 and the block 27, can be moved from one disc to any other disc without wrecking anything.

In Fig. 2, the disc 17, after having made a half revolution, is shown with an uncut-away portion engaging the arm 16. The rocking shaft 28 has been rocked clockwise against the spring 26 and the contact arms 15 are positioned within the zone of the cam 10.

The heads 13 which together with the shafts 7 and 37 form a cage, are so spaced apart that a predetermined number of discs may be positioned therebetween and when the device is sent out into lli the field the cage is filled with discs having teeth or indicia along the entire circumference thereof, with the exception of the slot 41.

When the device is installed, the casing 1 may be turned upside down and the discs may one after another be slipped out, cut away to form the wanted code, and replaced in the cage. In performing this operation, it is not necessary to disassemble the device, as each disc may be inchvidually pulled out without disturbing the other discs or any part of the mechanism. The discs are not clamped together by means of any bolts or screws. They are merely inserted with the slot 41 riding both the shaft 7 and the shaft 37, and when in position thereon the overhanging portions 22a and 22b of the spring 22 engage the shaft '7 and retain the disc in position thereon.

The upper surface 30 of the casing 1 is laid out into a series of divisions 29. One group of these divisions are positioned on one side of the slot 42 and a second group positioned on the other side of the slot 42. The divisions in one group are placed'half the width of a division out of line with the divisions of the other group. In other words, the divisions in one group are staggered relative to the divisions in the other group. The names of the telephone subscribers corresponding to the code disc of the subscriber's number are written in the divisions 29, and when the knob 3 is set in line with a given name, the arm 16 is in line with the code disc 17 corresponding to the name indicated. The divisions 29 on the cover 30, together with the knob 3, may be termed a visual indicator.

To operate the device, the knob3 is set in line with the name ofthe subscriber wanted, thus completing the setting operation. Next, the lever 2 is thrown to its extreme lowest position, where it disengages the pawl 12 from the notch 43 and sets the mechanism into operation.

In residences, the knob 3 may be always left set in line with the name of the fire department (especially at night) and in case of fire the button 32 may be pushed even in the dark and the device will transmit the code corresponding to the telephone number of the fire department without the necessity of making the setting at the time of the emergency.

In the modified form of disc shown in Figs. 5 and 6, two plates 17' and 17" are provided and suitably secured together to form a disc. The

teeth or indicia in the plate 17' are displaced relative to the teeth in 1'7" so that each space between teeth on one plate is positioned in line with a tooth of the other plate. This type of disc does not allow the arm 16 in the device to continually vibrate when the device is in operation,

as the uncut-away portions present the equivalent of a continuous surface to the arm 16. This type of disc has a further advantage in that the first tooth in each uncut-away series is the equivalent of half a tooth, which. compensates for the error introduced by the thickness of the arm 16, thereby practically givingthe theoretical time value to each impulse, and the first impulse in the series has a duration of the same value as theother impulses in the series.

In making up this modified disc for a wanted code, the teeth, for example, of 1'? commence behind the commencement of the teeth of 17 and terminate before the end of the same. In other words, one more tooth is cut away from the disc 17" than from the disc 1'7 to make up a desired group. If the discs are made of flexible material, the teeth which are not required may be bent out of line by means of a suitable tool, instead of being removed, and consequently the discs may be changed to correspond to other codes.

A suitable tool for cutting away portions of the disc 17 for making up codes is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and consists of suitable cutting jaws operated by spring controlled arms '75, 76, through a suitable linkage. A member 82 is secured to the jaws 80, on its outer end carrying a boss supporting the stud 81. The center line of the stud 81 is positioned away from the cutting jaws a distance equal to the radius of the cutaway portion of the disc, or of such radius that when engaged by the arm 16, the contact arms 15 are allowed to move away-from the zone of the cam 10. The boss 81 is of the same diameter as the shaft 7. The device is also provided with a scale 83 having graduations 84 thereon corresponding to 30 the teeth or indicia of the discs. This scale may be used as a guide in cutting away portions of the disc to make up any desired code. The disc, via

its slot, is pushed on to the stud 81 and the overhanging portions of the spring clip the stud 81 85 and firmly hold the disc rotatively thereon and the teeth may be cut away in accordance with the code desired, using the scale 83 as a guide.

I claim:---

1. In a device of the character described, an interrupter and a driving mechanism therefor, said mechanism also driving a pair of parallel shafts one of which is eccentrically fixed'relative to the other, a plurality of control discs for said interrupter each having a slot formed therein, and spring means carried by each disc having portions thereof overhanging said-slot and adapted to engage one of said shafts at a plurality of points thereby holding the disc in concentric relation to the shaft engaged when the discs are positioned thereon with their slots riding both of said shafts.

2. In a device of the character described an interrupter and a driving mechanism therefor, said mechanism also driving a shaft carrying a pair of heads spaced apart from each other, a second shaft supported by said heads parallel to said first shaft and eccentric thereto, a plurality of .slotted control discs for said interrupter adapted to be positioned with their slots straddling both of said shafts, and spring means supported on one face of each disc having portions overhanging said slot for resiliently embracing one of said shafts and holding the discs concentric with one of the shafts.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, in which one face of each disc is provided with a plurality of projections adapted to support said spring means and also serving as a spacer for locating the disc a predetermined distance away from the next adjacent disc.

4. In a device of the character described including an interrupter, a driving mechanism and a driven shaft, a control disc for controlling impulses instituted by said interrupter comprising a disc having a slot formed therein extending from a point adjacent to the center thereof to the circumference, a plurality of projections extending from one face of said disc, and a spring member supported by said projections having portions thereof overhanging said slot, adapted to engage said shaft when the disc is positioned thereon.

5. In a device of the character described, a plurality of control disc assemblies and an arm actuated thereby, each assembly comprising two discs of substantially the same diameter concentrically located relative to each other each of said discs having index teeth in the peripheries thereof serving as guides in the removal of portions to form a code therein, the teeth in one disc being positioned in line with spaces between teeth in the other disc, whereby the combined unremoved portions present the equivalent of an un broken surface to said arm.

6. A control disc assembly as claimed in claim 5 in which the two discs have their adjacent faces in contact with each other.

'7. In an impulse transmitter wherein a plurality of code discs each having a slot formed therein are mounted on a shaft, each of said discs having projections extending from one face thereof serving as spacers for holding said discs a predetermined lateral distance apart along said shaft, and a spring carried by said supports, said spring having portions overhanging said slot and embracing the shaft and yieldably supporting the disc thereon.

8. In a device for transmitting impulses, a casing, an interrupter .movably supported therein, a driving mechanism, a governor shaft driven by said mechanism, a cam carried by said shaft and adapted to actuate said interrupter, a hollow cup-shaped member having a slot formed in the periphery thereof carried by said shaft, a registration arm movable with said interrupter and adapted via said slot to engage the interior of said cup-shaped member for insuring accurate registration of the cam with the interrupter to insure the production of impulses of full timing, a plurality of code discs driven by said mechanism, an arm cooperating with one of said discs adapted to swing said interrupter into and out of engagement with said cam in accordance with the code of said cooperating disc, shafts carrying said cam and said control discs so geared to said mechanism that said interrupter is engaged by said cam when the latter and the cupshaped member are in a predetermined position, and means including a'visual indicator for sliding said arm into alignment with any one of the control discs.

9. In an impulse transmitter, an interrupter and a support therefor, a driving mechanism, a cam for said interrupter, an arm keyed to and manually movable laterally on said support for shifting said interrupter into and out of engagement with said cam, and a control device cooperating with said arm comprising an axle, a plurality of toothed discs, each of said discs individually carrying means whereby it may be yieldably retained on said axle, said teeth in the discs constituting indicia each adapted to be distorted from and restored to the circumferences of the discs. v

10. In an impulse transmitter, an interrupter, a driving mechanism, a cam for said interrupter driven by said mechanism, and a control device for said interrupter comprising an axle driven by said mechanism and a plurality of slotted code discs positioned on said axle, each of said discs carrying on supports on one face thereof a spring member of triangular form having an open apex riding said slot and engaging said axle, said spring member also serving to space the discs apart laterally on said axle.

11. In a transmitter, a pair of impulsing contacts, means for operating said impulsing contacts at a predetermined uniform rate, a plurality of code controller disc members, a device in operative relation with said disc members and controlled thereby for controlling the impulsing contacts, a shaft member carrying said disc members, a slot in each disc member extending from its periphery to its center for permitting said disc member to be moved transversely into position on said shaft member and to be moved transversely from said shaft member without disturbing the setting of other disc members thereon, spring means secured to one of said members and having portions gripping the other member therebetween for removably securing said disc members to said shaft, said spring expanding under action tending to remove the disc member from the shaft member, to release said disc member and.v permit its transverse removal, and means for positioning said disc members in predetermined space relation on said shaft member.

12. In a transmitter, a pair of impulsing contacts, means for operating said impulsing contacts at a predetermined uniform rate, a plurality of controller discs each disc comprising a plurality of teeth arranged in spaced groups about the periphery of the disc, a member having two positions in operative relation with said teeth and moved to one position when adjacent to a group of teeth and to its alternate position when adjacent to the space between a group of teeth, means whereby said member controls the operation of said impulsing contacts, the teeth in a group being sufliciently closely spaced to maintain said member in its one position while moving from one tooth to the next tooth of a group, the number of teeth in each group being an index of the number of impulse operations of said contacts while said member moves over said teeth of the group.

LEON KARDORFF. 

